Questions For Ministers

Northern Advocate, 28 July 1939, Page 11

Questions For Ministers

[Per Press Association. Copyright .] WELLINGTON. This Day. When the House of Representatives met at 2,30 pan. yesterday, Mr J. N. Grigg (National. Mid-Canterbury) gave notice to ask the Minister of Defence if. in view of the fact that Now Zealand's defence and agricultural industries were so largely dependent on petrol and crude oil. anything Was being done to place bulk reserve supplies in reservoirs, which would be immune from enemy bombs and shells. FERTILISER PRICES. Notice was given by Mr W. S. Goosman (National, Waikato) to ask the Minister of Industries and Commerce whether ho had consented, or intended to consent, to an increase in fertiliser prices to farmers, duo to the increased costs to manufacturers caused by the recent increase in wages to workers, who recently went on strike, in the Auckland province. I.C. AND A. AMENDMENT. Mr F. W. Doidge (National, Tauranga) gave notice to ask the Minister of Labour whether lie had noted the first result of the amendment to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, which became law last week, and, if so, what action did he propose to take to stop it. In introducing the Bill, said Mr Doidge, the Minister declared that its purpose was to act as a deterrent to strikes. Within a week of the Bill passing into law, a union on strike in Auckland made use of its provisions to obtain an increase in pay of ltd an hour, making it clear that the measure would not act as a deterrent, but as an incentive, to strike.